Man sentenced to 1 1/2 -year term for robberies in Westminster

Burns sentenced Aaron M. Derr, 33, to 10 years in prison for each of two counts of robbery and then suspended all but 18 months of the sentences.

Police said Derr confessed to taking $55 from one victim Sept. 10 and $100 from another the next day. The next day, he unsuccessfully tried to rob a woman of her purse. In each case, Derr took victims by surprise on the street or in parking lots, grabbing for their wallets or purses.

Burns also found Derr guilty in an unrelated robbery of a Westminster gas station in July 1995. Derr asked the clerk for change, then grabbed two $20 bills from the register and fled, court records show.

Man gets year in jail for drunken driving

A New Windsor man was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading guilty to his fourth alcohol-related driving offense since 1980.

Carroll County Circuit Judge Luke K. Burns Jr. sentenced Joseph M. Calp, 38, to two years in prison on a driving while intoxicated charge and one year for driving with a revoked license. Burns suspended all but one year, according to a plea arrangement.

Upon his release from jail, Calp must pay restitution of more than $2,000 and continue treatment for an alcohol addiction during four years of probation, Burns said.

Fire

Union Bridge: Firefighters responded at 3: 10 a.m. Wednesday to a burning smell in the 4300 block of Bark Hill Road. Units were out 10 minutes.

Police

Taneytown: A county-owned barricade and several road signs were stolen from Baumgardner Road, near the Frederick County line, between 3: 30 p.m. Monday and 7: 30 a.m. Tuesday. The loss was estimated at $300.